Was ibu to react like this. Should i say sorry

[Anonmummyoftwo]

Honestly it was a reaction i couldnt control. Before i could stop myself it just came out. Was waiting to lift ds5 from school today and chatting with the other mums. One said about her baby going next week for her year vaccines and another mum jumped in and said your really shouldnt my ds never got any of his because her sisters friends dd caught autism from them. Before i could stop myself i let out a laugh and said oh for god sake are you serious. I said you cant catch autism first off and second that bloody crap about the vaccine causing autism has been proven to be a load of crap. She tried to argue her point but i just said look im not listening and went in got my ds and left. A few mums agreed with me but this mum has just messaged me saying shes upset at how i acted and would like me to say sorry infront of the other mums at drop off in the morning. I told her im sorry for upsetting you but i wont say sorry at the school because i think shes being a fool. This is a grown woman whos at least 30 and truthfully i did think she was a smart woman till that. Do people really still think you can "catch" autism from a vaccine

[AmeliaE]

The point is that she wasn't laughing at a different opinion.
She was laughing at a completely ignorant who is putting at risk the kids because something she read on Facebook.
Those people are a danger for all of us.

I wouldn't apologise and I would report at the school that she is not vaccinating the kids.

[64sNewName]

Not all opinions are equal, ffs. Some opinions are dangerous.

Embarrassment is one of the things a person ought to feel after having stood in a fucking playground announcing that vaccines cause autism.

[nonmerci]

Don’t apologise for telling the truth.

[CCC1]

@halo1234 But she didn’t just have her opinion did she? She was advising someone else not to vaccinate. It’s nice to be nice, but vaccination rates are plummeting because too many people on playgrounds and elsewhere are fearful of being seen as “not nice” and are being far too polite about a very important problem.

[LagunaBubbles]

These stupid people who go on about doing their "research", as if they know better than the years of research the professionals have done both frustrate and annoy me. Just watched the news and GP want vaccines to be compulsory.

[Derbee]

howdovaccinescauseautism.com

Send her a link to this website

[Dutchesss]

Every one is entitled to an opinion. I agree her opinion is laughable but your manners were awful to tell her that you were not listening.
Yes, you should apologise.

[Grambler]

"when you can provide me with peer-reviewed, evidence-based research that proves you can catch autism from vaccines, I'll apologise"

which will never happen.

[damncats]

I'd agree to apologise. Then at the school say "I'm sorry my bluntness hurt your feelings but I can't let people peddle dangerous lies about vaccinations and autism."

[Anonmummyoftwo]

Iv messaged and said im sorry for how i acted. She wrote back and said thanks but she still wants me to say sorry infront of the other mums. Iv told her no iv said sorry for how i acted but i stand by it that i think its foolish to think you can catch autism from a vaccine. I said i hope we can move on from this now and again sorry for how i acted. Shes sent me links about vaccines causing autism and said she was just trying to give the other mum the information she needs to make a choice about her child being at risk of catching autism. Im not writing back to her again.

[LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD]

There is a hell of a lot more evidence to prove that it’s a load of crap.

[Gruntvsgunt]

Classy move OP, for what it’s worth I think you did totally the right thing here. Now the only dick is her .

[Whyhaveidonethis]

She can have her opinion and you can have yours

Only she's imposing her unvaccinated children on OPs and her friends baby who is unvaccinated. So no, op wnbu to laugh in derision at her. My ds caught measles at 9 months old from an unvaccinated child at his nursery. He is now sight impaired as a result. If this woman had tried that anti Vax crap with me, then me laughing and walking off would have been polite in comparison to what I actually think of these idiots who put my child's life in danger due to being complete idiots.

Do not apologise OP.

[Beautiful3]

You've already sorted it she messaged you and you've said sorry. That's the end of it. She doesn't get to tell you how to apologize?!

[Cohle]

Her views are laughable and you've already apologised for hurting her feelings. This isn't an area where all viewpoints are equally valid - she is spreading incorrect information that puts lives in danger. She should be apologising.

[Schlobbob]

Unfortunately just ignoring her now OP is all you can do. You can't argue with stupid!

She only wants you to apologise in front of the others so she feels justified in her opinions and pushing them on to others

No need to apologise again, just steer clear for a while!

[PathOfLeastResitance]

I would message her back along the lines of....
Will you be apologising to the people affected by your actions? The ones who have lost a baby due to loss of herd immunity? To the parents of an immunosuppressed child who is made more vulnerable by your actions? To the child who loses a limb due to you spreading nonsense to their parents who then didn’t get them vaccinated?
You do not deserve an apology as that would imply I was wrong and I am not.

[ScurrilousSquirrel]

Opinions are for matters of preference, like which one of the Avengers you'd most like to shag.

Vaccinations are not a matter of preference, they are evidence-based, public health policy. It is not an opinion that vaccines do not cause autism, it's a fact.

You apologised for upsetting her, publicly apologising might lend support to her argument. And the fact is, you're not sorry. Anyone who spreads antivax rhetoric, especially re links with autism, is beneath contempt.

[ClaireElizabethBeauchampFraser]

I am autistic with two autistic dc- YANBU- I wouldn’t have laughed but this is a point that greatly pisses me off! In fact my 12 year old autistic ds gets very angry about this! Autism is genetic, any link to the MMR (related to a certain study are bullshit) or presentation of symptoms following the MMR are purely coincidental- as it just happens that the age that the MMR is given is the age that many autistic dc present with symptoms. I chose to delay the vaccines and my dc is still autistic- it just happened that he started showing more signs at the age he would have been given the MMR. He was actually autistic from birth!

Knowing more about autism now (after extensive research) it is very clear that there is a genetic element to autism- in my case autism runs through both sides of my parents family as well as through my dh’s Family. I truly wish they could identify the genetic cause as it would literally save lives!

If you have already apologised for upsetting her then you don’t owe her anything else! She is spreading dangerous misinformation- her ignorance could cost the life of an innocent child!

[Henrysmycat]

“I’m sorry you’re such an uneducated idiot that spread misinformation”.
That would be my apology.

[GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER]

I'd like to think I'd have worded it better, OP, but I certainly don't think a public apology is called for.
If anything, I'd say something online such as 'I'm afraid I was so shocked at such ignorant and dangerous misinformation, I forgot my manners.'

There is serious talk now about making vaccinations compulsory for school entrance.
IIRC this has been the case in the US for ages.
Overdue here IMO, especially given outbreaks of measles.

[ClaireElizabethBeauchampFraser]

I want to qualify that when I say ‘save lives’ I mean that having the proof that autism is genetic would hopefully stop people from choosing Not to vaccinate their children!

[MaybeitsMaybelline]

Omg she’s stupid. Ok so you embarrassed her for being a fuckwit in public. You know that probably cam out a bit tough, but absolutely don’t apologise and I personally wouldn’t leave her with the last word either. She will think she’s right. I would find the best possible resources to throw right back at her together with a few links relating to children that have died as a result of not being vaccinated and then finish with a Let’s Agree To Disagree.

[CallmeAngelina]

Have an answer up your sleeve for IF she says loudly tells the other mums tomorrow that you apologised, allowing them to think you've retracted your view.

[SaveKevin]

Honestly what the fuck is wrong with people.
Even if it did cause autism (which of course it bloody doesn’t) would autism genuinely be worse then a dead child.

Send her this picture.